The New Straits Times, January 1, 1996
Q: Recently there were reports of the Government wanting to ban the use of codeine in certain pharmaceuticals. Can you please tell me what codeine is used for?
A: Codeine is one of the drugs used in treating certain types of coughs, namely those that are considered dry and non-productive. Generally it is not used in patients with productive or congestive cough.
It acts by suppressing the central nervous system (that is, the brain) especially the cough centre and the nerve receptors within the respiratory tract. The US Food and Drug Administration advisory panel has concluded that under usual conditions therapeutic use of codeine has low-dependency liability.
However, after prolonged use and if taken in large quantities, codeine can result in dependence. Stringent control has been placed on codeine-containing products as a result of their misuse. The recent move by the Government to limit the use of codeine is an attempt to control the misuse of codeine in the country, especially among drug addicts.
In clinical practice, the adverse effects of codeine most commonly encountered include nausea, drowsiness, lightheadedness and constipation, especially when recommended dosage levels are exceeded. When use as directed, codeine can be used as cough suppressants, for example, dextromerthophan and diphenhydramine.
